14:00 Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol - Awstralia
Live from the Millennium Stadium joinh the Clwb Rygbi team for comprehensive coverage and analysis of Wales v Australia. Kick off 2.30pm.
Well it kicks of this Saturday., with four big games over the coming weeks: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa. All four battles held at the Millenium stadium.
Let’s be honest the northern hemisphere doesn’t fair well against our southern friends; thus I’ll be watching
with my my heart pulsing on overdrive. Great practice to listen to the Welsh broadcast as well.
Looking forward to Arans authorative comments after each game: their always passionate.
I’m not particularly looking forward to this series (which may well mean it turns out to be our best for some time!).
None of the younger tightheads have impressed me with their scrummaging, so I’m concerned about how stable that platform is going to be for us. Lydiate has clearly been unhappy in France, and usually needs game time to be at his best, which he’s been very short of recently. We still lack a creative 12, and if Jonathan Davies is unavailable our midfield will look very predictable.
All in all, I’d expect to be about 15-20 points off the All Blacks (who will put the squeeze on at the scrum without mercy if our tightheads aren’t up to it), to pick up one or two heart-breaking last minute defeats from the others, and be about 20 points up on Fiji. 1 from 4 will be met with a certain amount of discontented muttering from the media about our problems with the southern hemisphere (although we’ll be told that any heart-breaking last minute defeats are a sign that we’re doing all the right things and will get over the line one of these decades), while 2 from 4 would be hailed as a breakthrough.
At the moment, in a familiar World Cup tradition, Wales are looking clear favourites to be the only top 8 side not to get out of their group. We’ll probably lose to England and then throw an untested New Zealand reject in at 10 for the Australia game and go out to a last minute try.
Disclaimer: age may be having a negative impact on my previous youthful optimism.
George North will start at centre, while Gethin Jenkins and Mike Phillips have been dropped as Paul James and Rhys Webb start. Video footage with the team:
So what about the ‘5th Test’ being played in Belgium a week on Sunday? I ask partly because the positive attitude displayed by the FAW towards Cymraeg - websites, programmes the lot - leaves the WRU token efforts miles behind…and Gareth Bale is, on his day, the best player in the world
This is what my brother Willem in Ghent said, rather cryptically: “Al je liefde voor het prachtige landschap en de mooie taal die in Wales gesproken wordt: wat denk je zelf? Wij weten het al.” I don’t know, but the Belgians do, it seems.
Say Something in Flemish? now we are getting serious…by the way after a few spluttering efforts I have finally raised a website for gig listings. It will be strictly Cymraeg only, www.gilydd.com Should have something on there dros y sul…
Oh, ja … “creative 12” … I agree with that. And as much as I love Welsh team it is QUITE VERY predictable and very often lacks of speed what can be devastating especially against New Zeland.
However, I’ll say Let’s wait and see and most of all I’m wondering if Halfpenny is still in such form for kicking as he was before injury and then going to France. (sorry I intentionally don’t follow French club rugby for qutie some reasons).
“Lydiate has clearly been unhappy in France” you say but I’m wondering more often who among Welsh players is happy there at all (if they’re honest to themselves). Hardly wait for them to return to Wales. Many are clearly happy here though. (only my opinion though).
However I’m looking forward to those matches. I’ll just wait and see what comes out. Hope there won’t be dificulties finding some online live stream as I’m not living in UK and our TV doesn’t broadcast anything like this and if it does we have to extra pay for it.
Hahasport will do the work online if no TV boroadcasts the matches. www.hahasport.com However you’ll have to rid off some ads before watching but it’s not such big matter though. Until now I always was able to watch matches there.
In terms of current players, Jamie Roberts has made it very clear he loves being in Paris, and Mike Phillips hasn’t been in any trouble recently, which is good for him - and Leigh Halfpenny sounds pretty positive. In previous generations, France was transformational for Stephen Jones, and very successful for Gareth Thomas as well
Oh, yes, Jamie Roberts … I see him staying in France for eternity. … However there are times when players don’t quite get playing time they’d deserve and that’s what I meant though. But what was that about Roberts and Phillips to come back to Wales we could read in media not so long ago? I couldn’t believe I’m reading those lines though. And those lines in media that Halfpenny will be without contract also at about the same time? Yellow pages again?
S4C 14:00 Clwb Rygbi Rhyngwladol - Awstralia
Live from the Millennium Stadium joinh the Clwb Rygbi team for comprehensive coverage and analysis of Wales v Australia. Kick off 2.30pm.
However there are times when players don’t quite get playing time they’d deserve and that’s what I meant though. But what was that about Roberts and Phillips to come back to Wales we could read in media not so long ago? I couldn’t believe I’m reading those lines though. And those lines in media that Halfpenny will be without contract also at about the same time? Yellow pages again?